Ghanaian Afro-fusion music duo Lali x Lola have issued an open letter to President John Dramani Mahama, calling for urgent action to address foreign withholding taxes affecting revenue earned by Ghanaian creators through global digital platforms.

The twins, who won the honorary Telecel Music for Good Award at the 2026 Telecel Ghana Music Awards on May 9, also made the same appeal during their acceptance speech at the event.

Lali x Lola were recognised for their two-year social impact campaign and song, #CroxItOut, which uses music, mentorship and advocacy to raise awareness of breast cancer in schools across Ghana. The Telecel Music for Good Award includes a cash prize to support the winning artiste’s social impact initiative.

According to the open letter, Ghana’s fast-growing digital creative industry, including music, film, publishing, podcasts, gaming and online content creation, continues to generate value internationally through streaming platforms, social media and global digital marketplaces.

The duo stated that many major digital and content monetisation platforms are headquartered in countries such as the United States, where payments made to non-resident creators are often subjected to withholding taxes of up to 30 percent in the absence of applicable tax treaties or relief mechanisms.

They argued that income earned by Ghanaian creators is frequently taxed abroad before reaching Ghana, resulting in significant portions of the revenue remaining outside the local economy.

Speaking on the issue, Lali x Lola said Ghana is “losing over $100 million to foreign tax systems”.

| This was posted on May 4 on the twins' official IG page

Their letter noted that countries including South Africa, Morocco and Egypt have established tax treaty frameworks with key global markets to secure more favourable treatment for cross-border digital earnings and retain more value within their domestic economies.

According to Lali x Lola, they have over the past year formally written to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the Clerk of Parliament, and the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations to draw attention to the issue.

They described the matter as not only a concern for the creative sector but also a national economic opportunity.

Citing industry-informed modelling of Ghana’s foreign digital earnings and applicable withholding tax rates, the group emphasised their estimate that more than $100 million may have been withheld over the past decade from Ghanaian-generated digital income.

The twins called for stronger bilateral tax frameworks and policy interventions to help recover more digital revenue for Ghana’s economy.

Additionally, Lali x Lola disclosed that they have taken the #CroxItOut campaign to 21 schools across five regions, with plans to expand the initiative to more schools to improve breast cancer awareness among Ghanaian youth.

| Lali x Lola/Instagram (Pic):